


Remembrance

by spideywriting (catch_you_later)



Series: whumptober 2019 [5]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Angst, Attempt at Humor, Canonical Character Death, Crossover, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Hurt Peter Parker, I'm Sorry, Mistaken Identity, Misunderstandings, Moving On, Murals, Police, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Post-Endgame, Remembrance, Suicidal Thoughts, Tony Stark Dies, do not copy to another site, gunpoint, no.5, whumptober2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-05
Updated: 2019-10-05
Packaged: 2020-11-24 13:30:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20908457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/catch_you_later/pseuds/spideywriting
Summary: Peter goes out as Spider-Man for the first time in five years.Everything does not go as planned.





	Remembrance

**Author's Note:**

> Un-betaed.
> 
> Please don't read if you're triggered by any of the tags.

The first time he went Spider-Manning after the end of the war was a total disaster.

He was still struggling with losing his mentor/father figure, still recovering from the injuries, the extreme exhaustion and dehydration and basically _everything_.

But he had still wanted to go out on patrol, because the longer he stayed still, the more he thought about the overwhelming chaos of a battlefield, about the heart-freezing desperation, about disappearing, about _death._ Staying still he was Peter Parker, who, unlike Spider-Man, was capable of vulnerability and hurt and paralyzing despair. Peter Parker, who thought about death and dying and _how painful would it really be_ – and he couldn’t do that. Not right now. He would break into thousands of little pieces and _he_ _couldn’t take that right now_.

Ergo, patrol.

Except it didn’t really go as planned.

* * *

Spider-Man flipped from the sky straight in front of six armed robbers. Two were carrying large bags of stolen money while the four others were carrying rifles and pistols. All of them had just cleared out of the Queens County Savings, on their way to the getaway car (which had its tires tightly stuck in specialty webbing – not that they knew about it yet).

“If you would be kind and return those bags back inside, I would be very gratef—WHOAH!”

Spider-Man agilely dodged the shots fired at him and _tsk_d, “That wasn’t very nice,” before webbing up two guns and flinging them away and dodging another shower of bullets from the two gunmen left.

The fight only escalated from there, the two disarmed gunmen somehow brought up more weapons and Spider-Man had already been exhausted and overwhelmed and _oh no the bag lady had a knife on her _and he definitely hadn’t anticipated being clobbered on the head by a _suitcase of all things_.

Adrenaline did wonders for his concentration though and he was able to push through the disorientated wooziness until he had all six robbers either webbed up or unconscious at his feet.

He had just lifted the suitcases from the ground, intending to return them to the bank, when a voice shouted, “FREEZE!”

His spidey-sense flared and as he turned around, he was greeted by the barrel of a gun.

Above it, he saw a pair of frightened yet determined brown eyes and a dark blue cap of a NYPD officer.

He cocked his head, confused.

“Are you talking to me?”

The police officer’s eyes widened in surprise before hardening again.

“Yes, I’m talking to you. Put the bag down calmly and raise your hands above your head—”

It was only now that it clicked.

“You think _I _stole this?” his asked incredulously.

“…yes?” Now even the police officer seemed befuddled.

“I can’t believe this! I went through the trouble of knocking out and webbing these guys for you and you try to arrest _me_?! I know this looks bad, with the mask and all, and I know I haven’t been active in, like, five years, but c’mon! Don’t you remember me? I was kind of a big deal back then, especially after the Vult—”

The officer’s grip on the gun tightened the longer he talked, until the officer snapped, “Enough! You were caught holding the stolen goods, clearly grabbed from the original robbers and you were about to leave—,”

“To return the bags!”

“—so you are now under arrest. You have the right to remain silent—”

At this point, another voice interrupts him.

“Cadet Mahoney! What do you think you’re doing?!”

The officer – cadet? – turns his head slightly to glance at the newcomer – a white-haired, well-decorated officer Spider-Man is actually very familiar with, and immediately straightens his pose, stammering, “I-I was arresting him for robbery, I—”

“No need with this one, Cadet Mahoney. He’s been fighting crime before you were in Academy. Nice to see you again, Spider-Man. I’m sorry for your loss.”

There was genuine empathy in the man’s eyes as he nodded respectfully to Spider-Man.

He nodded back just as respectfully, trying to rein in the grief the man’s compassion had unleashed once again.

The cadet’s eyes widened in shock as he dropped the gun down.

“_He’s_ the Spider-Man?! The superhero?!! Oh gosh, I’m so, so sorry sir! It’s just that- it’s been five years.”

“No, no, it’s no problem. Like I said, with the mask, it's understandable. Actually, now that you’re here, you can take this back, right?” He shoves the bags to the cadet. “Anyway, I gotta get back. Criminals to fight, grand-theft autos to stop. Bye!” He threw an offhand salute to Lassard and Mahoney and webbed away swiftly before he broke down in front of them.

(He doesn’t need them knowing how much it hurts him to know that in five years, people have already started to forget him.)

(He doesn’t want them to know how scared he is that people will forget Tony, too.)

(He doesn’t want them to see how afraid he is of himself forgetting Tony and the huge, life-altering sacrifice he made for him. For them all.)

* * *

That night a new mural appears in Queens.

It’s the first of many; during the next months, new murals by the same art style can be found all over Queens, and the months after that, all over New York. Eventually the rest of the world cottons on and murals and tributes by other artists start to appear in New York and all over the world. Most of them — like the first one — are dedicated to the one and only Iron Man, the vanquisher of Thanos and his troops, and the savior of the universe. Some of them are dedicated to the Hulk and the Black Widow, after their involvement leaks to the public. And all of them are repeating the same heartfelt message as the first one:

“_Thank you_.”

**Author's Note:**

> So. I started this thinking "oh I'll just try to write something fun for a change, like Peter being mock-offended by people forgetting him ('I've been gone for five years and I'm already ancient history? How rude!')", but it seems Peter had a different idea and this happened. That's why it's only an "attempt at humor"...
> 
> I hope you still liked it though, leave me a kudo and/or a comment if you did, I would really appreciate it!
> 
> Also, I will post tomorrow's prompt on Monday because I have an irl deadline tomorrow that will take up my usual writing time. I'm really sorry for the delay.


End file.
